Ring rail lowering mechanism having overload slip clutch



Sept. 10, 1968 J. K. GARRISON ET AL 3,400,791

RING RAIL LOWERING MECHNISM HAVING OVERLOAD SLIP CLUTCH Filed Nov. zo, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEY RN 4 5 Oms i 0 8 MRL o 6 RES kann IIINN O o wmfw Kmv. ELVI 4 s n www I le p 5s --1/ i M A 5 4 I I U. w nl.. \v.w. 4 n

J. K. GARRISON UAL 3,400,791

Sept. 10, 1968 RING RAIL LOWEHING MECHANISM HAVING OVERLOAD SLIP CLUTCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 20, 1967 N 0 R R mms GGS E TEN N 0 ERI" KEV. T. uw Jwc United States Patent O 3,400,791 RING RAIL LOWERING MECHANISM HAVING OVERLOAD SLIP CLUTCH Joe Kent Garrison, Greenville, S.C., Walter Engels, Tryon, N.C.,` and Coy V. Jones, Sr., Greer, S.C., assignors to Southern Machinery Company, Greer, S.C., a corporation of South Carolina Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 549,239, May 11, 1966. This application Nov. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 684,335

11 Claims. (Cl. 192-12) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The provision of an overload protection slipping clutch means in the power train between the front draft roll of a spinning frame and the ring rail of such frame so that abrupt stopping of the rail at any time will not produce damage or failure of intervening gears or mechanical clutch parts in the power train.

Cross-references to related application and patents This application is a continuation-in-part of prior copending application Ser. No. 549,239, filed May 11, 1966, now abandoned, for Ring Rail Lowering Mechanism Having Overload Slip Clutch. The invention herein also constitutes an improvement on the ring rail lowering mechanisms shown in prior United States Patents 3,124,925 and 3,285,378.

Background of the invention The invention pertains to mechanism for automatically lowering the ring rail of a spinning frame toward a dotf position when the bobbin building operation is completed. The prior art as exemplified by the above United States patents has provided eilicient mechanisms for this purpose but such mechanisms have had shortcomings in that certain internal mechanical parts have tended to be damaged or to fail under sudden conditions of loading or overloading, as where the downward travel of the ring rail is abruptly interrupted by a positive stop means at the full down position, or otherwise. The invention overcomes the prior art deficiencies in mechanisms of this character through the provision of a more compact and sturdy ring rail lowering unit and by the inclusion in the power train which includes this unit of an overload-responsive slipping clutch device which protects the parts of the power train against damage.

A further feature of the present invention yresides in the fact that the provision of the slipping clutch means in the power train between the ring rail and the constantly running front draft roll provides a certain degree of friction braking on the spindle system of the frame, therefore sometimes rendering the use of a cylinder brake unnecessary in the system, while still allowing qui-ck stopping of the frame after ring rail lowering to reduce the number of waste yarn wraps below the bobbins.

Summary of the invention The invention mechanism includes a train of gears between the constantly turning front draft roll of the frame ICC matic lowering of the rail toward a full down position where the rail may be held or locked. A positive stop me-ans associated with the rail lowering unit and pulley establishes the full down position of the ring rail under inuence of said unit and the provision of an adjustable overload-responsive slipping clutch between the pulley and the output shaft of the lowering unit provides the necessary protection of parts in the power train including the rail lowering unit. In some instances, the slipping clutch means may be placed in another part of the power train between` the front draft roll and the ring rail.

Brie)c description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a central vertical section through a ring rail lowering mechanism and power train embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged end elevational view of the pulley end of the mechanism, with parts broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse vertical section taken 0n line 4-4 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modification.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts, and in particular -to FIGURES 1-3 inclusive, the numeral 10 designates the head end of a conventional spinning frame upon which the aforementioned power train including the ring rail lowering unit shown generally at 11 is mounted. More particularly, a first clutch housing section 12 of the unit 11 is bolted at 13 to the head end 10. An integral hub extension 14 of housing section 12 projects through a clearance opening 15 of head end 10 and carries a mounting arm 16, close to the outer side of the head end. The upper end of the arm 16 is -anchored as at 17 to the head end while the lower end of the arm receives the hub extension 14 and is suitably rigidly secured thereto,

As described in the mentioned prior patents, the spinning frame includes a gear train having a driving connection with the continuously rotating front draft roll, not shown, a portion of the gear train being shown in FIG- URE 1, including a constantly `driven gear 18 keyed to a rotatable bushing 19 which also has keyed thereto a small gear 20 in mesh with a larger gear 21. on the input rotary shaft 22 of the ring rail lowering unit 11. A non-rotary bolt means 23 adjustably mounted on the arm 16 supports the bushing 19 and the gears 18 and 20, as indicated. There is preferably provided between the bolt means 23 and rotary bushing 19 another bearing means or bushing 24 whose ends are clamped between a flat washer 25 and one face of the arm 16. It Will be seen that the ring rail lowering unit 11 derives its `power from the gear train above-described which is continuously driven when the frame is in operation. This means that the input shaft 22 of the unit 11 is continuously rotating when the frame is in operation.

The input shaft 22 is journaled in bushings 26 contained within the hub extension 14, and through a roll lpin 27 the input shaft is coupled to a first mechanical clutch head 28 within the unit housing having tapering clutch teeth 29 upon its forward face substantially as described in the aforesaid patents.

The unit 11 further comprises a second housing section 30 having a bushing 31 within which is journaled an` output rotary shaft 32 having splines 33 thereon intermediate its ends, and an extension 34 which is further journaled in a concentric bushing 35 of the rst clutch head 28.

Mounted upon the output shaft 32 to turn therewith 1nd being axially shiftable thereon through engagement with the splines 33 is a second or companion clutch head 36 having tapered teeth 37 adapted to interengage with the teeth 29 when the two clutch heads are shifted into active engagement. The clutch heads 28 and 36 are held normally disengaged or separated by the action of an expansible coil spring 38 on shaft extension 34.

As disclosed in Patent 3,285,378, the clutch head 36 is backed up by a low friction thrust bearing 39, behind which is a clutch actuating cam 4f) which is both rotatable and axially shiftable for moving the clutch head 36 toward the non-shiftable head 28. Both of the elements 39 and 40 engage over hub extension `41 of clutch head 36, as shown.

4Referring to FIGURE 4, clutch operating cam 40 has a pair of spaced diametrically opposed raised cam faces 42, coacting with rollers 43, journaled upon axles 44 which are fixedly anchored to the housing section 30. The cam 40 also has an abutment lug 45 in the path of movement of a plunger 46, driven by a push type solenoid 47, secured to an angle adapter 48, in turn bolted securely at 49 to a mounting face 50 of housing section 30. When the solenoid 47 is energized, the plunger 46 is thrust outwardly through a guide extension 51 and by pushing on the lug turns the cam 40 against the action of a cam return spring 52 arranged as shown. When the cam 40 is thus turned, the camming action between the parts 42 and the fixed axis rollers 43 causes the cam to shift axially on the hub 41 which in turn forces the clutch head 36 into intermeshing coupling engagement with the continuously revolving ydriving clutch head 28.

Mounted upon the output shaft 32 of unit 11 and keyed thereto at 53 is a hub member 54 having a radial fiange 5S `formed thereon constituting a friction clutch back-up plate. The hub member 54 extends somewhat axially beyond the end of shaft 32 as shown in FIGURE l.

A ring rail lowering pulley 56 having a first diameter portion 57 and a larger diameter portion 58 is mounted rotatably on the hub member 54 through the medium of a roller bearing 59 or the like, the pulley having an internal thick annular flange 60 at this point to receive the roller bearing and to yprovide opposing radial faces for contact with clutch friction discs 61. The friction discs 61 engage over the hub member 54 and straddle the flange 60 and the interior disc 61 engages the face of flange 55. Outwardly of the outermost friction disc 61, a pressure plate 62 engages such friction disc and is urged inwardly by a disc spring 63 which is conically formed. The region of hub member 54 which receives the pressure plate 62 is rectangularly formed as shown in FIGURE 2 and corner portions thereof are screw-threaded at 64 to receive a nut 65, the purpose of which is to adjust the tension of the clutch disc spring 63. The pressure plate 62 has a square opening 66 to engage over the correspondinglyshaped portion of hub member 54. It may now be seen that hub member 54 will turn when the output shaft 32 is driven and pressure plate 62 will turn with the hub member 54 and cannot turn relative thereto. There can, however, at the proper time, be relative turning or slipping of the pulley 56 relative to the shaft 32 and hub member through the medium of the adjustable friction slip clutch embodied in the discs 61, intervening flange 60 and the relatively stationary elements 5S and 62. The torque which the clutch will resist before slippage is regulated by means of the nut 65.

Secure-d by an anchoring screw 67 to the smaller diameter portion 57 of pulley 56 is a ring rail lowering chain 68, whose remote end is connected to a sector on a rocker shaft, not shown, in a well known manner, for example, as described in Patent 3,124,925. A second chain 69 is similarly anchored as at 70 to the larger diameter portion 58 of pulley 56 to be wound thereon in the direction opposite to the winding up of the chain 68. The chain 69 is connected with a retractile spring 71, which in turn may be secured to any convenient fixed element 72 of the machine. The purpose of the chain 69 and spring 71 is to bias the pulley 56 in the direction for maintaining the ring rail lowering chain 68 taut or free of slack during oscillating of the pulley and ring rail while the bobbins are being built on the frame. This arrangement is employed instead of the spring 68 in Patent 3,285,378.

Rigidly anchored in the end wall of housing section 30 is a stop pin 73 which projects beyond the housing and into the interior of diameter portion 58, which is provided with an internal rigid coacting stop lug 74 at one circumferential point thereon. During rotation of the pulley 56, engagement of the lug 74 with the stop pin 73 will positively arrest rotation of the pulley and at this time the overload clutch arrangement operates to allow slippage of the pulley relative to the shaft 32 and hub member 54 to protect the mechanism.

FIGURE 5 shows a modification which may be ernploye'd in some instances. In this figure, the slip clutch arrangement is not placed within the pulley 56 but instead is placed in the gearing between the spinning frame front draft roll and the input shaft 22. Specifically, in FIG- URE 5, the slip clutch structure is associated with the constantly driven gear 18. Friction discs 75 are arranged to engage the opposite faces of the center web 76 of this gear. Inner and outer pressure plates 77 and 78 are provided to engage the discs 75 and these pressure plates have splined engagement with a hub 79 and cannot rotate relative thereto but must turn therewith. The small gear 20 is also keyed to the hub 79 to turn therewith. The gear 1S under conditions of overloading may slip relative to the hub 79. A disc spring 80 backs up outer pressure plate 78 and has its tension adjusted by a nut 81 on the outer end portion of hub 79. The hub 79 preferably is journaled on an oilite bushing 82 or equivalent means and this bushing in turn receives a non-rotatable bearing Yor sleeve 83 whose ends are clamped between the mounting arm 16 and washer 25, previously described in connection with FIGURE 1. In protecting the mechanism, the slipping clutch arrangement shown in FIGURE 5 serves the same purpose as the clutch arrangement in the pulley 56 of the preferred form of the invention.

Operation Generally as disclosed in Patents 3,124,925 an-d 3,285,378, the clutch heads 28 and 36 remain separated during the building of bobbins in the frame and the input shaft 22 and clutch head 28 are turning continuously. Under the inuence of t-he well known builder motion, not shown herein, the ring rail is oscillating and gradually rising toward a full bobbin position and during this oscillation, the pulley 56 is also caused to oscillate with the chain 68. The spring 71 and opposing chain `69 tend to remove slack from the main chain 68 and hold the latter taut at all times.

When the ring rail reaches the yfull bobbin position, as disclosed in said prior patents, the solenoid 47 is automatically energized and the plunger 46 thrusts forwardly and turns the cam 40, shifting the clutch head 36 into coupled engagement with the continuously turning hea-d 28. This immediately transmits power to the output shaft 32, hub 54 and pulley 56 in the proper direction for winding up the chain 68 on the pulley portion 57 to effect the lowering of the ring rail toward a down or doff position, as explained in said prior patents. At this time, the friction clutch elements will be adjusted through the nut 65 to allow the transmission of sufficient torque through the clutch to pull the ring rail down. For example, the adjustment can be made so that the pulley 56 will not slip until the torque exceeds by 30%-50% the amount of torque required to lower the ring rail.

In any event, when the rail is fully lowered, the pulley 56 will have turned one revolution, sufficiently lfor the stop lug 74 to engage the fixed pin 73 and this will abruptly stop the turning of the pulley. It is at this time and at any other time when the torque load through the pulley exceeds safe limits that the pulley will slip relative to the hub member S4 to protect the clutch heads 28 and 36 and other parts of the power train which might be damaged. When the ring rail reaches its full down position, the pulley 56 will begin to slip and this slippage can continue until the iframe coasts to a stop, while the ring rail is held securely in its lowered position. Additionally, the clutch arrangement provides a certain degree of braking on the spinning frame motor and spindle system which is advantageous. The clutch will also respond to any sudden or unexpected overload condition such as might occur if a part of the mechanism should fail. In such case, the slipping of the clutch in either form of the invention, FIGURE l and FIGURE 5, will protect the entire mechanism. The lug 74 will travel from a first position at one side of the pin 73 to a stopping or engaging position in Contact with the other side thereof, or a full revolution of the pulley. FIGURE 3 shows the initial positions of the elements 73 and 74 when the lowering of the ring rail is commencing.

It may now be seen that the mechanism is considerably more simplified and compact than the corresponding mechanisms in Patents 3,124,925 and 3,285,378. One of the two clutch associated solenoids in those patents has been elimi nated along with a controlling microswitch and a number of other parts. 1t is believed that the advantages of the present invention over the prior art may now be readily understood without #further description.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described `are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. In a spinning frame of the movable ring rail type, a power train adapted to be driven by the spinning frame front draft roll, an intermittently operated ring rail lowering unit connected in said power train and forming a part thereof, means connected with said unit and adapted for connection with the ring rail of the spinning frame to lower the ring rail when the unit is caused to operate, and an overload responsive clutch means in said power train allowing slippage of a part therein whenever said unit is subjected to abrupt stopping while driving the ring rail.

2. The invention as defined by claim 1, and wherein the first-named means includes a pulley connected with and adapted to be driven by said unit when the unit is activated, and said clutch means connected between said pulley and a driven part of said unit.

3. The invention as defined by claim 2, and wherein said unit includes an output rotary shaft, a member carried by the output rotary shaft and turning therewith, said pulley journaled on said member for rotation relative thereto, and an adjustable friction connection between the member and pulley enabling the degree of torque transmitted through the pulley to be adjusted.

4. The invention as defined by claim 3, and wherein said friction connection comprises at least one friction element on said member having frictional contact with a part of said pulley, resilient pressure means on the member engaging the friction element, and means on the member to adjust the tension of the resilient pressure means.

5. The invention as defined yby claim 4, and wherein the friction element is a friction disc and the resilient pressure means includes a pressure plate secured to the member to turn therewith, a back-up spring element for the pressure plate, and an adjusting nut on the member engaging the spring element to adjust the tension thereof against the pressure plate.

`6. The invention as defined by claim 2, and a stop element carried by said pulley, and a cooperating sto-p element on said unit in the path of movement of the pulley stop element to arrest turning of the pulley when the spinning frame ring rail is in a down position, said overload responsive clutch means then allowing slippage of the pulley relative to a driven part of said unit.

7. The invention as defined by claim 1, and wherein said ring rail lowering unit includes a clutch having a rst clutch part connected with a part of the power train and rotated continuously thereby and a second clutch part shiftable into and out of coupling engagement with the first clutch part, and :means on said unit to effect said shitting of the second clutch part.

8. The invention as defined by claim 7, and wherein the last-named means comprises electromechanical means including a solenoid and a clutch actuating cam driven by the solenoid when the latter is energized to shift the second clutch head axially into coupling engagement with the first clutch head.

9. The invention as defined by claim 1, and gearing forming a portion of said power train and connected with an input rotary part of said unit, and said overload responsive clutch means connected in said gearing to allow slippage of an element of said gearing when said unit is subjected to abrupt overloading while driving the ring rail.

1t). A ring rail lowering mechanism comprising a unit mounted on a fixed part of a spinning frame and adapted when activated to cause lowering of the ring rail, pulley and chain means connected with the unit and driven thereby and adapted for connection with support and lift means for the ring rail, positive stop means for the pulley and chain means to interrupt the operation thereof when the ring rail is fully lowered, said unit including a continuously driven part, and an overload responsive slipping clutch means on said unit interconnecting ,an output driven part of the unit and said pulley and chain means.

11. In a ring rail lowering mechanism for spinning frames, input drive gearing for the mechanism adapted to be driven from the front draft roll of a spinning frame, an overload responsive slipping clutch connected in the input drive gearing so that a gear thereof may slip relative to the remainder of the drive gearing under a condition of overloading, and a ring rail lowering intermittently activated clutch unit, said unit including an input rotary drive shaft connected with and driven by said input drive gearing, an intermittently operated output shaft, and a pulley means on the output shaft adapted to wind up a flexible element having a connection with the ring rail to lower it.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,124,925 3/1964 Kennedy et al 57-54 3,285,378 11/1966 Garrison et al. 192-12 FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

LEONARD H. GERIN, Assistant Examiner. 

